The official opening of the A180/A160 Port of Immingham road improvements by Transport Minister John Hayes, centre, Martin Vickers, left, and David Haimes, regional investment programme director for the Highways Agency.

The £93 million Port of Immingham improvement scheme has been officially opened by Transport Minister John Hayes today (Friday, June 30).

He hailed the construction of the major development and said it would help to "boost productivity across the region".

The A160/A180 superhighway scheme has increased capacity for the 40,000 vehicles that use the route on a daily basis, with the junction at Brocklesby Interchange having been upgraded to provide access to and from the A180.

The last single carriageway sections have also been dualled.

Mr Hayes said: "Ports like the one here in Immingham play a key role in the long-term growth of the economy and provide essential access to global markets.

"It's good to come here and actually physically witness the development in action. We know how important the Port of Immingham is to the local people and to jobs and growth.

"The future of our ports is a really important part of our economy. This port contributes £460 million to the regional economy every year.

"It's important to work with authorities to make sure the transport links are as good as they can be. This is an example of us putting money where our policies are."

The scheme started in 2015 and, in total, a three-and-a-half mile stretch of the A180 has been improved.

Port of Immingham is the UK's busiest by tonnage and handles up to 55 million tonnes of goods every year, including nearly 20 million tonnes of oil and 10 million tonnes of coal.

Over the Christmas period in 2015, contractors carried out a complex piece of engineering when they slid a 4,000 tonne bridge into place using hydraulic jacks weighing more than five tonnes each.

MP Martin Vickers said: "It is a good news story. The A160 has needed upgrading for many years. We had a campaign to secure the investment and now we have got the best part of £100 million being invested into the area.

"It shows the Government's commitment to the area and the importance of securing good access to the Port of Immingham. It's vital to the local economy and I am confident this can attract other investment into the area.

"I recognise that there were concerns from the local community but with such a massive scheme there's always going to be some. I think that North East Lincolnshire Council and Highways England have engaged particularly well with the local people and have done their very best to deal with the local issues."

According to Highways England, more than 1,700 members of staff worked on the project, with over half being local.

Highways England project manager Ben Ridgeon said: "We are already seeing a reduction in congestion as a result of this project which we completed in March. It will provide vital transport improvements in this area by increasing capacity and boosting productivity in the area, creating more jobs and greater investment.

"We would like to thank drivers and the local community for their patience while this work has been taking place and are pleased they can now benefit from the completed upgrade."